不确定选择合适的大学? 24岁的利兹·布拉克(Liz Bracht)也是.

The process of choosing a college 可以 difficult, and the pressure to make the right 决策可能是一个挑战. 有时你可能会觉得自己肩负着一项不可能完成的任务 选择，但你不必独自面对. 

莉兹·布拉克，24岁 of 东梅多，纽约, shares some insight into how she decided 火博体育是她最好的选择. 心理学专业也提醒未来 同学们，我们都有过这样的经历.” 

你是如何以及为什么选择来火博体育?  

这个过程……  

When I was applying to colleges, it was the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. 我申请 Regular Decision because COVID-19 made it a very unusual year for college applications, 我害怕通过 早期的决定 since I had only toured a handful of the nearly 20 schools 我申请 to. 我也发了 out my applications before I did any interviews, and the interviews really made a 对我来说不同. 我清楚地记得，在那之后，我感到了一种压倒性的解脱感 火博体育’s interview, which was conversational and informative, but also fun. 而 than feeling nervous or self-conscious, I felt like I could bring all of myself to 表. 

学者们……  

In the end, it was a combination of things that influenced my college choice. 火博体育 有 强大的心理学课程这是我想要追求的. 课程中有大量的选修课 offerings and research opportunities — as well as clinical experiences. 我不确定 what area of psychology I wanted to pursue, but I loved the opportunity to explore 多种渠道. 

I’ve also been a dancer for as long as I can remember, and I did not want to give ,. When looking at colleges, I remember liking a lot of schools, then being disappointed when some other schools’ dance offerings were limited to a salsa club (真实故事)或在体育比赛中表演的舞蹈队. 在来火博体育之前， I chatted with a dance professor and was assured that I would be able to pursue technique classes, as well as performance and choreography opportunities, regardless of whether 我选择主修，辅修，或者只上舞蹈课.  

I’m now doing research in collaboration with the 舞蹈部门 — something 17-year-old 我无法想象. 对我来说，研究机会似乎是触手可及的 exclusively to people involved in the sciences, but at 火博体育, 我有 been empowered 进行跨学科研究. 

无形的…… 

还有地点和规模的问题. 我不想上一所大学校 or in a major city, but nor did I want to be at a college w在这里 the campus lacked 有事情要做，或者在一个感觉孤立的地方. 当我第一次参观校园时 at 火博体育, I felt a warmth — and not just because it was summer — from the admissions 顾问们，大使们，还有我可爱的导游. 我理解那种强烈的感觉 社区和支持的存在. 萨拉托加温泉市 对我来说似乎也是一个完美的大学城.  

How did you overcome your initial concerns about making friends and feeling at home 在这里?  

As scary as it might sound to someone in a new place surrounded by unfamiliar people, getting involved and putting yourself out t在这里 is the best thing you can do.   

I did one of the SCOOP pre-orientation programs; it was great to try something outside of my comfort zone (living in cabins in the woods, hiking, and going whitewater rafting) 当我回到校园时，我已经有了20张熟悉的面孔. 我还报名参加了 几个 俱乐部 to meet people with similar interests, although it was nerve-wracking at the time. 我有 also met incredible people through becoming a tour guide, RA, and peer mentor. 

 Still, I think finding things you can do for yourself is also important. 我喜欢做某事 things like walking downtown and going to Uncommon Grounds for breakfast. 它可以帮助 me feel comfortable not just on campus but in the Saratoga area as well. 

你对考虑火博体育的学生有什么建议?  

 I think any student in the midst of their college search needs to consider how a school meets their needs as a whole person — not just academically. 我建议考虑一下 有几个因素:  

• 你应该确信 学者 have the level of rigor you desire and that the disciplines you are interested in 追求是有代表性的. 
• 考虑到 周边地区; is it a place w在这里 you feel safe? 你觉得有事情要做吗? 是 你有机会去追求? 你觉得这是环境的问题吗.g.,更多的 城市、城镇、农村等的.)你想要?  
• Consider whether t在这里 are cocurriculars that interest you and/or opportunities to 开始一个. 
• 确保有 支持寻找实习、工作、研究等.  
• Finally, ensure you feel like the “vibe” is a good fit for you; you must live t在这里 for the majority of the year, so it’s important that a school not only checks all the boxes but feels like a place you could thrive academically, socially, mentally, 和身体上. 

自从你第一次来到这里，你有什么变化吗?  

我成长了很多. 我已经成为了一个更加自信的人，有着奇妙的 强大的支持网络. 通过自己的努力和学习，我成熟了很多 平衡不同的任务、责任和优先级. 这种增长的部分原因在于 come from meeting people who not only challenge me academically but love and support 作为一个人的我.  

I’ve become more outgoing through working in admissions as a tour guide; 我有 been able to interact and connect with families, and I am honored to play a part in people’s 大学之旅. With professors, despite feeling nervous and being more introverted, 我有 seen and experienced the value of going to office hours and asking questions. 我发现 professors 在这里 enjoy getting to engage with students and further conversations started 在教室里, and their confidence in me 有 allowed me to become a more outgoing student. 我有 found so much support in the staff I get to work with, who genuinely care about connection 以及与他们互动的学生的健康. 通过各种途径， 我也找到了这么好的朋友. 

在学术上，我对学习变得更加兴奋了. 过去的这个春天，如 我开始了我的研究 舞蹈部门, I had a moment w在这里 I got to connect things that I was learning in two or three 不同的类. I saw firsthand how interconnected elements from various disciplines 可以. In high school, I had a very structured curriculum, which taught me a lot; however, having such a large number of options for classes that fill both general and major requirements at 火博体育 provides me with the flexibility to take courses 火博体育我好奇、热情和兴奋地想要了解的事情. 的回收 of the joy in learning makes the process of education so much more enriching.  

对我来说，成长是一个持续的过程. 但在火博体育，我相信我做到了 以一种对我来说非常真实的方式适应和成长.